Andrei Arlovski, ‘Rumble’ Johnson Shine in World Series of Fighting Debut

Displaying the fearsome power that once made him a UFC champion,
Arlovski captured a technical knockout victory against Devin Cole in
the headliner of the promotion’s inaugural event at the Hollywood
Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

A right hand to the temple sent Cole tumbling to the canvas, and a
few hammerfists sealed the deal 2:37 into the first round of the
heavyweight contest. “The Pit Bull” is unbeaten in his last four
bouts, with a no-contest against Tim Sylvia at
One FC 5 the lone blemish on his record during that time.

Arlovski held an obvious edge on the feet, as he began the fight
landing crisp punches while staying out of range of Cole’s attacks.
The International Fight League veteran attempted to make the bout
ugly, unsuccessfully shooting for a single-leg takedown before
pushing Arlovski into the fence and landing some short knees to the
thigh.

Cole’s efforts were short-lived, however, as the Jackson’s MMA
product broke free from the tie-up and dropped his adversary with
what turned out to be the fight-ending right hand. Cole, who had
won his previous two bouts while competing under the Strikeforce
banner, hadn’t been stopped by strikes since a second-round TKO
defeat to Rafael
Cavalcante in 2007.

“Tonight I was the better man,” Arlovski said. “I wish [Cole] all
the best in his future MMA career. It was nothing personal -- just
business. It’s just a fight. I respect him a whole lot.”

‘Rumble’ Johnson Blasts Linderman

Dave
Mandel

Johnson's right had Linderman out before he
even hit the floor.

Anthony
Johnson continued his resurgence as a light heavyweight,
knocking out D.J.
Linderman in the first round of their co-main event
confrontation. A straight right hand from Johnson ended the contest
3:58 into the opening frame.

Johnson, who has won three straight fights at 205 pounds, recovered
from an apparent eye poke to land the decisive blow. When referee
Herb
Dean offered “Rumble” no respite, Linderman rushed forward to
capitalize. It turned out to be the wrong decision, as Johnson saw
clearly enough to drop his foe with a powerful right hand.

It was exactly the type of message Johnson had hoped to send.

“He just kept talking about all this power and what he could do
because he came down from heavyweight. I just showed him what a
170-pounder can do,” said Johnson, who spent the majority of his
tenure in the UFC at welterweight.

After catching Linderman with a low kick to the cup just seconds
into the fight, Johnson went to work, throwing punches and head
kicks with murderous intent. He later buckled the Cage Warriors
heavyweight king with a low kick and also worked some
ground-and-pound along the fence after landing a takedown. With
four straight wins since his UFC ouster, Johnson appears to be
happy with where is career is headed.

“I’m just taking it easy, training. I’m sipping some coconuts on
the beach waiting for my next fight,” said the Blackzilians
member.

Moraes Holds Off Torres

D.
Mandel

Upstart Moraes was too much for a
slower Torres.

Marlon
Moraes showed little regard for the reputation of Miguel
Torres. As a result, the 24-year-old earned the most
significant victory of his 14-bout professional career.

Buoyed by superior speed, movement and a diverse standup arsenal,
Moraes outstruck the former World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight
king for the majority of three rounds to capture a split verdict
(30-27, 29-28, 28-29).

Moraes was the aggressor from the outset, catching a Torres kick
and swarming with a flurry of punches. The XFC veteran landed
whipping low kicks throughout the contest, and he wobbled Torres
with a counter punch late in round two. Despite 23 submissions on
his resume, Torres attempted just one takedown in the fight.

After struggling to land much in the way of significant offense in
the opening 10 minutes, Torres began to find the range on his jab
in the final frame. Moraes responded by executing the lone takedown
of the fight with 45 seconds remaining. However, the Florida
resident failed to do much with the position, as Torres continued
to land offense from his back. It turned out to be too little, too
late, however, as the promotion’s first prominent acquisition lost
for the fifth time in eight outings.

Spong Batters Bartlett, Wins MMA Debut

D.
Mandel

Spong brutally beat Barlett in his debut.

If his professional debut is any indication, longtime kickboxer
Tyrone
Spong will adapt to mixed martial arts just fine.

In a bout where he did what he wanted when he wanted, the
Surinamese-born Dutchman knocked out the overmatched Travis
Bartlett with a devastating straight right at the 3:15 mark of
round one. Although the Blackzilians member had no prior MMA
experience, he owns a 68-6-1 record as a kickboxer, and his initial
trip to the cage was highly anticipated.

“I’ve been fighting on the highest level for a long time, so I can
deal with the pressure,” Spong (1-0) said. “A fight is a
fight.”

Bartlett never had an answer for the striking of Spong, who floored
his opponent with a head kick in the bout’s opening moments. Known
for heavy hands of his own, Bartlett spent the majority of the
fight with his back to the cage, giving Spong the green light to
unload with kicks and punches to his legs, head and body. When the
decisive strike landed, Spong backed away, as if anticipating a
mandatory eight count. As it turned out, no follow-up was
necessary.

Steele Knee Rocks Gracie

D.
Mandel

Steele came back to pound out Gracie.

Tyson
Steele took a bite out of MMA royalty, as he finished Gregor
Gracie with a knee and follow-up punches 4:52 into the opening
round of their welterweight scrap. The 26-year-old Canadian has
tasted defeat just once in 11 professional bouts.

Gracie started quickly, taking Steele down and working for an
arm-triangle choke. When that failed, the Renzo Gracie
protégé transitioned to an armbar, but Steele was able to escape to
his feet. It wasn’t much longer until the Alliance Martial Art
System representative dropped his foe with a knee and then flurried
for the finish, forcing referee Chris Tognoni to stop the bout with
eight seconds remaining in the round.

Cobb Outduels Torres, Earns Split Verdict

D.
Mandel

Cobb crept by Torres on points.

UFC and Sengoku veteran Brian Cobb
captured a hard-fought split decision over Nova Uniao member
Ronys
Torres in a 155-pound affair. Two judges scored the bout 29-28
in favor of Cobb, while another had it 29-28 Torres.

Both fighters had their moments in the grappling-heavy battle. In
round one, Torres dropped punches from back mount before closing
the frame with an inverted triangle attempt. Cobb responded with a
pair of guillotine tries in round two -- the second attempt tighter
than the first -- but each time the Brazilian was able to
escape.

The two lightweights battled tooth-and-nail for positioning in the
final stanza, with Cobb likely sealing the win with a late
takedown. The loss ended an 11-fight unbeaten streak for Torres,
while Cobb has won five of his last six appearances.

Burkman Outpoints Harris

D.
Mandel

Burkman has won six of seven.

Superior striking and timely takedowns carried Josh
Burkman to a unanimous decision over Gerald
Harris in a welterweight conflict. The cageside judges scored
the bout 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 in favor of the Team Quest product,
who won for the sixth time in his last seven appearances.

Burkman set the tone early, as he pressed Harris into the fence
before picking him up and slamming him to the canvas. From there,
Burkman landed several hard knees to the body of his opponent as
Harris sat against the cage.

Burkman encountered some trouble in round two, when he found
himself trapped in a guillotine choke for the better part of two
minutes. However, “The People’s Warrior” made several gestures to
indicate that he was fine, and he escaped the hold with about 40
seconds remaining in the frame.

“It wasn’t too close. It was tight -- have you guys seen Gerald
Harris’ arms? Of course it’s gonna be tight,” Burkman said. “But I
had space. I let the referee know I was good. I thought he was
going to break it up and when he didn’t I started throwing some
knees and trying to get out of there.”

Burkman had a strong finish, scoring a late takedown and mounting
Harris in the final stanza to punctuate his victory.

‘JZ’ Cavalcante Taps O’Brien in 63 Seconds

D.
Mandel

'JZ' was rocking and leglocking.

Gesias
Cavalcante needed just 63 seconds to halt a two-fight skid, as
he submitted T.J. O'Brien
with a first-round heel hook in a lightweight matchup.

O’Brien attempted to keep his Brazilian foe at bay with kicks, but
it wasn’t long before “JZ” was able to successfully execute a
double-leg takedown against the fencing. O’Brien attempted a
triangle from his back before Cavalcante rolled for the leg lock.
With his leg contorted at a nasty angle, the Iowan had no choice
but to tap out. It was just the third win for Cavalcante in his
last 10 outings.

Branch Wins Duel of Octagon Vets

D.
Mandel

Branch's jab got the job done.

In the opening preliminary bout on the card,
David
Branch captured a unanimous decision over fellow UFC veteran
Dustin
Jacoby. All three judges scored the middleweight contest 29-28
in favor of the Brooklyn, N.Y., native.

Branch made liberal use of his jab throughout the contest, opening
a deep cut above his opponent’s left eyebrow in the final frame and
dislodging Jacoby’s mouthpiece on two other occasions. Jacoby
mounted his best offense in round two, staggering Branch with a
right hand early in the frame, but the Finney’s Hit Squad
representative was never able to find a consistent rhythm.

“I did start to find my range. I was trying to stand up with him
more than just take him to the ground,” said Branch.

Carl Subs Blackmon

D.
Mandel

Carl caught an early choke for the W.

Hard Drive MMA’s Steve Carl
upped his record to 19-3 with a first-round rear-naked choke
submission of Ramico
Blackmon. Carl put away the Colorado Fight Factory
representative at 2:11 of the opening period.

The win marked Iowan’s fifth consecutive fight in which he finished
his opponent by submission.